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Mercat a la Planxa, Chicago, IL THE ART OF BRUNCH The bar is high when two amazing meal periods collide. Breakfast: crispy bacon and 10” buttered pancakes. Lunch: Burgers, fries and everything savory. This brunch idea is the best innovation since Catalan cuisine! However, the one problem with brunch is...

Farmer, Shepherd, Rancher: Finding our Local Soul Mainstays on menus reflect the soul of a chef. Recipes that have a perennial home on paper often have a perennial home in a chef’s heart. However, sentiments change, seasons change and cultural cravings change. After 8 years of bacon-wrapped dates and oxtail...

Sherry! A brief sherry education: Potentially, sherry has been produced since the 1st century when Phoenicians brought grape vines to Spain’s Jerez region. Thus, began the nation’s tumultuous adventure with sherry. While the original production of sherry was vastly different from the structured fortified wine styles we imbibe in...

Mercat's Favorite Pig Party Mustaches, mezcal, bacon, beards and tattoos. These are a few of Chicago’s favorite trends. However, not all will last the course. Mustaches and beards? The abundance of facial hair only has one way to go as warmth springs in April: the way of the razor. Tattoos? They seem...

KITCHEN NOTES While a couple of blankets and a rocks glass with whiskey are keeping Chiberia at bay, the reality is, it’s nearly Spring, but the beloved season is far from sprung. This is problematic for a few reasons: 1. Timeliness and functionality. Unending cold is redundant and tends...